Perioperative care in infective endocarditis.

Patients undergoing surgery for acute infective endocarditis are among those with the highest risk. Their preoperative condition has significant impact on outcomes. There are specific issues related with the preoperative situation, intraoperative findings, and postoperative management.

Significance and current approaches to vascular graft infection.

Vascular graft/endograft infection (VGEI) is a constant in cardiovascular surgery with published rates between 1 and 5%. Every graft type and anatomical location is a potential target for infectious complications. These patients are sick patients with high frailty burden.

[Surgery in the Cardiovascular Surgical Intensive Care Unit].

Background: To analyze the indications, actions and results of the operations performed in the Cardiovascular Surgery Intensive Care Unit.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of consecutive non-selected adult patients operated in the ICU. All operations were included.

Heart fatty acid binding protein in the diagnosis of myocardial infarction: where do we stand today?

Heart fatty acid binding protein (hFABP) is a novel small cytosolic protein that is abundant in the heart. It is highly cardiac-specific (i.e.

Triflusal versus oral anticoagulation for primary prevention of thromboembolism after bioprosthetic valve replacement (trac): prospective, randomized, co-operative trial.

Objective: Antiplatelet agents are used for prevention of thromboembolism in surgical patients and in patients with chronic atrial fibrillation. Up to date, however, results of randomized studies comparing antiplatelet agents and oral anticoagulation have not been reported. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of triflusal (an antiplatelet agent) versus acenocoumarol for primary prevention of thromboembolism in the early postoperative period after implantation of a bioprosthesis.